Electric-lantern battery



F. T. BAIRD ELECTRIC LANTERN BATTERY Filed Sept. 4, 1923 lpatented 'li/lay 3, 1927.

1,621,264'4 -UNi'ri-:D sTA'riis BATENT oFFi'cE.-

FRANK T. BAIRD, OF BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO FRENCIH' BATTERY & CAR- I BON. COMPANY, OF MADISON,"WIS CONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

l iinac'rnIcQnaNriiRN BATTERY;

. On railroads, trainmens long used kerosine lanterns have been largely replaced by electric 'lanterns having immediately below l Vthe pivoted` handle 'a case, .adapted movably receive a comparatively -large dry battery, usually of severalcells, carrying on its bottom electric terminals adapted to automatically interfit with similar terminals in the bottom of the case, connected with a 10 lamp, suitably disposed in the lantern structure, usuallyobut not necessarily immediately below the ttom of the battery case. As operating conditions require the battery to be loose enough in the case for instant remoialon opening the case, serious diiculties have heretofore arisen in securing a battery, equipped with terminals of such a character as to insure positive operation of the lantern under all usual working conditions.

20 Again, batteries of this class made up of several cells are subjected to very hard usage in lantern swinging and still more in Shipmentin quantity, tendin to disrupt the cell assembly and consequent y the positionsof its terminals with the result that if the batwi l'not automatical interfit with the lantern terminals with the result that o of the complete lantern is mpaire stro ed.

T e objects of this invention are to construct aI multiple cell battery for thedescribed use which is, for practical purposes, perfectly rigid and to equip that battery or ter is not internally injured, its terminals y ration or deany other for lantern use with electric terminals which for ractical purposes never fail to operate in the conditonsnamed.

The invention consists in means, one of which will be hereafter described, capable of V.10 attaining the foregoing objects, which ,can

. be easily andcheaply constructed, which is lsatisfactory in operation and is not readily V liable to get out of order. The invention further consists in features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in Dthe specification andl claims. i

Referringto the` drawings in which like numeralsdesignate the same parts through out the several views:

Figure 1 is a central, vertical section of a battery illustrating this invention in its preferred form, the same beingseparated from any lantern. v

Application tiled September@ 1923; Serial No. 660,680.

JFigure 2 is an inverted plan sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figurel.

Figure 3 shows the bottom portion of a battery. of Figure 1 in assembly with aconventional lantern case bottom and the lamp carried thereby. A

Figure 4 is a plan view, of the lantern terminals on the line 4.-4 of Figure 3.

The particular battery here shown includes four conventional `dry cells 10, 11,112, 13, arranged parallel to each other around a central rigid post 14, usuall of wood, and of substantially the length o each cell. The

strips 16. and enclosed in a tightly litting outer case 18 of general rectangular form. In practice, case are conventionally ed with insulating compound 20 which hardens and makes the entire battery mechanically one 'solid block which will, Adueto the presence of the central, rsolid post 14 of the length ofthe jcells are separated by insulating boards or the remaininuspaces inside the cells. .stand any amqunt of side or rotary crus ing action with the result that in com merce, the conventional` electric connections, not shown, between the various cells are not` disturbed and conseiuently the batter unit is, within its norma life, always rea y for work. y

When a battery of this general type is applied inside a lantern battery case whose bottom 22 is equipped with a lamp or other above its base 22. In this invention, the

desired result'is attained by making these terminals 30 and 32, the former convention- ,ally attachedn by wire 34 to battery 10, and

rigid on post 14, the latter electrically connected and mechanically attached to the cell 12, coil springs which as shown in Figure 1 are ca able, when released, of springing outl a su stantial distance from the battery toward thelantern contacts 24 and 26 and 59 other hand, the outer terminal of the lamp which are, as shown in Figure 3, capable of a large measure of collapsement while -Fi ure 3.

ne important point is that by the use of the spring contacts 30 or 32,.the bottom 36 of the battery. case can .be provided with large perforations 38 through which the springs freely pass, with the result that if the case bottom 36 becomes wet, the moisture does not reach the cont-acts thereby creating a short circuit and thus injuring or `destroying the battery.

The casing 18 may be of any suitable material and of any'desired form. Prefi 'erably, a pasteboard container is employed.M

The central post-14and the dividing strips 16 constitute an )interior nest, or cell-structure, which lits snuglywithin the container. As illustrated, it is unnecessary to encase the -cells in individuall cartons. That is, the zinc cans, or cup-shaped negative electrodes, may be introduced without the use of wrappings thereon. In lthe illustrations given, the cell 10 is shown with its sealed end down, and the wire 34 is soldered to thc cap ,'on the carbon or positive electrode, as indicated at 10. Also, the wire of the coil-spring contact 32 is shown soldered to the bottom of a zinc cup -12, as indicated at 12".

Any suitable arrangement of the cells may be made. That is, the cells may be inverted, or some of them may be inverted, or they may have their sealed ends up, as desired. In the illustration given, only one of the cells has its carbon pole presented downwardly. As indicated above, however,

the cells are assumed to be suitablyv connected inseries, the connections at the upper ends of the cells not being illustrated.

The'central spring-coil contact 30 is, in Fig. 3, assumed to -be in contact with the central terminal of the lamp 28. On thc is shown fitted in a socket which is assumed to be in electrical contact with the annular contact member 26 with which the eccentrically placed spring-coil-contact 32 is in engagement. The coil-spring contacts 30 and 32 aie under a compression in the condition illustrated in Fig. 3. In racti'ce, the

battery is likely Vto be of less eight than the lantern-casing; hence when lthe lantern is swung in a circle by a brakeman, there is a 'tendency ofthe battery to shift longitudi-v nally in the lantern-casii'ig. Also, be a tendency for.v thebattery to t itsV "own axis inthe lantern-casing. Ina's- 2. The combination with a lantern casing' there may rotate on However, lantern-casings are manufactured by various companies, and there is apt to be variation in the height of the lantern-easing. For this' reason, and for other reasons stated, the coil-spring contacts are particularly useful in connection with these lanterns, as these contacts will serve always to maintain contact between the terminal cells of the battery and the contacts in the bottom of the lantern-casing. Contacts 30 and 32 are'permanently connected with the battery, one of the contacts preferably having its upper end abutting against a central Sup orting member, such as the lower end of t e post 1.4, and the other having its upper end abutting against'the zinc can of a cell. Inasmuch as the battery unit is 'strong and compact and the cells. are incapable of shiftin within the container 18 of the battery, it will be understoodthat Iyielding pressure alwa s is exerted' between the battery and the ttom of the lantern-casing, and the contact'between the coil-spring contacts of the battery and the co-acting contacts of the lantern-casing always is securely maintainer having sideAwalls, a top wal and a bottom wall, thei bottom wall of said container having a central perforation and an eccentric perforation, dry-cells confined in said container and insulated lfrom each other, `and coil-spring contacts having their upper ends permanently attached to said battery-unit and electricall connected with electrodes of said cells, sai coil-spring oontacts protruding through said perforations and one of said contacts engaging'said an- 1 nular contact member.

having at its bottom an internal annular Contact, of a battery unit comprising a container whose bottom wall is provided with ank eccentric perforation, dry cells in said container, one of said dry-cells having a negative cup-shaped electrode provided with an exposed bottom wall, and a coil-spring Contact soldered to said exposed bot-tomwall and confined under compression between the same and said annular contact.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FRANK T. BAIR-D. 

